🗓️ Idiom: Let Sleeping Dogs Lie (V+Ph)
💬 Meaning
- To avoid restarting an old argument or problem.
- To leave a situation alone because doing anything may cause trouble.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The manager chose to let sleeping dogs lie and didn’t reopen last month’s conflict between the teams.
- The customer finally stopped complaining, so the support agent decided to let sleeping dogs lie and not bring up the issue again.
- HR advised them to let sleeping dogs lie rather than revisit the disagreement from last year.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom dates back to the Middle Ages. People believed that disturbing a sleeping dog could be dangerous because the dog might wake up suddenly and attack. Over time, the phrase became a metaphor for avoiding old problems that could “bite” if brought up again.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
The argument had finally ended, so everyone agreed it was best to __________ and move on.
Answer
let sleeping dogs lie
2. Choose the correct answer:
If you “let sleeping dogs lie,” you:
a) Start a new conflict
b) Avoid reopening an old problem
c) Demand a full explanation
Answer
b) Avoid reopening an old problem
3. Change the sentence using “let sleeping dogs lie”:
“He decided not to bring up the old complaint again.”
Answer
He decided to let sleeping dogs lie.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
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👉 Conflict and Conflict Resolution Idioms
👉 Business English Idioms List
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Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.
